James Blades
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James Blades OBE (September 9, 1901 - May 19, 1999) was an English percussionist.
He was one of the most celebrated percussionists, having had a long and varied career. He also wrote Percussion Instruments and their History, one of the standard works on percussion instruments.
Jimmy, as he was known to all, was born in Peterborough in 1901. He provided the sound for the Rank Organisation's famous Gongman and was an associate of Benjamin Britten, with whom he conceived many of the composer's unusual percussion effects. In 1954, Jimmy was appointed Professor of Percussion at the Royal Academy of Music.
Jimmy's pupils included the rock drummers Carl Palmer and Richard James Burgess as well as percussionist Evelyn Glennie.
